False twist crimping apparatus

ABSTRACT

A false twist device to impart false twist to thermoplastic synthetic filament yarn such as polyesters polyamides, etc. The yarn led from the supply package is passed through feed rollers, a first heating device, a false twist spindle, a broken yarn detector, first delivery rollers, a twist adjuster, a second heating device, second delivery rollers, and third delivery rollers, and further fourth delivery rollers if need be, and the yarn is finally led to a takeup device. The yarn thus false twisted with this false twist machine has the woollike bulkiness, stretch, and covering power to be used as the yarn for various fabrics.

I United States Patent [151 3,638,41 1 Tsugawa et al. 1 Feb. I, 1972 [54] FALSE TWIST CRIMPING APPARATUS 3,441,993 5/1969 Stelwagen .28/62 [72] Inventors: 'gsglhgiatvzggasuhiro Sato, both of Primary Examiner john Petr-akes Attorney-Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack [73] Assignee: Teijin Seiki Co., Ltd., Higashi-ku, Osaka,

Japan 57 ABSTRACT [22] Filed; 8,1969 A false twist device to impart false twist to thermoplastic synthetic filament yarn such as polyesters polyamides, etc. [21] Appl. No.. 882,878

The yarn led from the supply package is passed through feed 4 rollers, a first heating device, a false twist spindle, a broken [52] US. Cl. ..57/34 "S, 28/62, 57/ 103 yam detector first delivery rollers a twist adjuster. a Second [51] 'f "D023 1/02 D021 13/ heating device, second delivery rollers. and third delivery rol- [58] Fleld of Search ..57/34 HS, 157 TS, 55.5, $032, lets, and further fourth delivery rollers if need be and the y 2 ,6 is finally led to a takeup device. The yarn thus false twisted 56 R f cud with this false twist machine has the woollike bulkiness, l e I stretch, and covering power to be used as the yarn for various UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,077,724 9/ I957 Stoddard et al "57/34 HS 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEB 1:972 31638L411 SHEH 1 OF 3 KAZUYUKI TSUGAWA and YASUHIRO SATO, Inventors 'tdmMaQilvM Attorneys PATENTED FEB 11972 35383111 sum ear 3 KAZUYUKI TSUGAWA and YASUHIRO SA'IO, inventors Attorneys PATENTED FEB H972 31638L411 sum 3- or KAZUYUKi TSUGAWA and YASUHIRO SATO, Inventors Attorneys FALSE TWIST CRIMPING APPARATUS The invention relates to improvements of a false twist machine to treat thermoplastic synthetic filament yarn, for instance, polyesters, polyamides, and so forth.

When polyester or polyamide filament yarn is in use for fabric, it cannot give to the fabric bulkiness, stretch, and good coverage compared with wool yarn only by subjecting them to twisting. However, if false twisted, the yarn isimproved and modified in appearance, and is entirely distinguished from the a raw yarn in the hand and stretch.

In the false twist process, the yarn is given twist with a twister, heat 'set at around 200 C. in a heater, and detwisted while cooling. By conventional false twist processes, however, satisfactory products have not been obtained because of various drawbacks of the false twist device. For instance, the driving mechanism for the false twist spindle, the heating device, and the final yarn collection device have had defects so as to prevent the production of satisfactory products.

In the present invention, a system forming a false twist device has been chosen, and the defective portions in the system have been improved. After various designs and modifications, the present system has been able to attain unexpected results. I

It is an object of the present invention to provide a false twist machine capable of treating thermoplastic synthetic filament yarn, for instance, polyester and polyamide filament yarns and thereby producing various types of yarns for fabric having woollike bulkiness, stretch and covering power.

One embodiment of the device of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

'FIG. I is a flow sheet of one embodiment of the inventive device. I

' FIG. 2 and 3 are vertical sections of false twist spindles to be used in the-present device.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a heating device to be used in the invention device.

FIG. Sis a section view along line VV in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is one modification of the invention false twist spindle.

With reference to FIG. I, the stream in the false twist device and the travel of yarn will be described below. The routes of the yarn are:

Supply package I feed rollers 3 first heater 4 false twist head 5 broken yarn detector 6 first delivery rollers 7 twist adjuster 8 second heater 9 second delivery rollers 10 third delivery rollers 12 [fourth delivery rollers 13] takeup device 14. It is noted that fourth delivery rollers 13 may be omitted if not required.

Yarn 2 led from supply package I is introduced into first heating device 4 byway of feed rollers 3. Then it advances to false twist head 5, broken yarn detector 6, and first delivery rollers 7. Up to this moment, yarn 2 is nipped with feed rollers 3 at the backward end of yarn and with first delivery rollers 7 at the forward end, and false twist is imparted to yarn 2 about midway between the two clasps. Said false twist head 5, specially designed, will be later discussed in more detail. The use of first heater 4 is for heat setting the false-twisted yarn. Yam 2 (false-twisted yarn) which has left first delivery rollers 7 is freed from torque with second heater 9, and by way of second, third, and fourth delivery rollers, is led to takeup device (14). The above system, besides false twist head 5, includes an improved first heater 4. In the final processing, there are two ways of winding yarn:-Direct winding of the yarn from the third delivery rollers to takeup device 14 and winding of the yarn from the third and fourth delivery rollers to takeup device 14. The former winding is suitable for hard winding and the latter the soft winding.

What plays the most representative role in the false twist device is the false twist spindle. If uneven twist occurs in the yarn false twisted with the false twist spindle, that is, if a yarn has portions twisted unevenly, the uneven twist directly appears as uneven dyeing and reduces the commercial value of the fabric thus produced by half. The causes of uneven twist of pulleys have indirectly been driven with belting by a motor;

consequently the driving device has been large in size and complicated, and further after long continuous operations, a belt becomes loosened, resulting in slippage between the pulleys and belting and irregularities in the number of rotations of the false twist spindle. The uneven twist of the yarn has stemmed from these irregularities lowering yarn quality. Based on the above observation the inventor has imparted rotation to the false twist head by the direct friction of said driving pulley by fitting to the motor shaft the driving pulley to drive the head or by disposing an intermediate shaft coming into friction contact with the pulley about midway between the motor and the head, instead of driving indirectly the driving pulley with the motor by use of conventional belting, etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, the peripheral surface of pulley l9 fitted on shaft 18 of motor 17 is brought into direct contact with that of false twist head 5. Or as shown in FIG. 3, intermediate shaft 21 is disposed between false twist head 5 and shaft 18 of the motor and fitted to pulleys 20 and 20. Pulley 20 comes into contact with pulley l9, and pulley 20 contacts directly false twist head 5 to transmit power. With such mechanism the unevenness of twist of the yarn false twisted with the twist head has remarkably decreased.

In this false twist device, first and second heating devices are employed. Some conventional yarn heating devices for use in draw-twisters or false twist machines enclose a heat transfer medium which is evaporated easily during heating. The devices are, of course, closed and provided with electric sheathed heaters, etc. Along narrow, long grooves formed on the outer surface of said closed vessel, the yarn is advanced and heated. However, if the contents of this heating vessel become deteriorated, surface temperatures will become uneven, resulting in consistency of the yarn heating. It is a taboo to employ such a defective heating device in the false twist device. Thus as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an improved heating device has been employed.

First, the deterioration in the heating vessel will be described below. The vessel consists of upper pipe 23, lower pipe 24, and vertical branch tube 28 connecting both pipes. Heat transfer solution 25' is stored in lower pipe 24, and electric heater 26 for heating and evaporating said heat transfer solution is mounted in pipe 24. The vapor generated in lower pipe 24 passes through lower connecting tube 24 and ascends in vertical tube 28 and fills upper pipe 23 via upper connecting tube 24". Thus with the vapor filling the heating vessel, the whole of the device is heated at elevated temperatures. The yarn is advanced along grooves 29 formed on the surface of vertical tube 28 and therein heated. Therefore, it is desired that the temperatures of the grooves on vertical branch tube 28 be consistent within the groove and the temperatures from branch tube to branch tube be consistent also. Heat transfer solution 25 is heated and vaporized and fills the vessel. The vessel undergoes, however, cooling from the outside. In the groove, the yarn is being heated. With such heat exchange the vapor inside the vessel is condensed and descends to return to heat transfer solution 25; on the other hand vapor is occurring from the heat transfer solution being heated with electric heater 26. Such circulation is repeated and heating actions continue. This heating device is of the so-called pure vapor heating type, and pressure is balanced with temperature. Generally speaking, heat transfer media such as Dowtherm. etc., contain dissolved air or other gases. Therefore, if a heating vessel filled with heat transfer medium is heated and used under high vacuum, gases etc., dissolved in the medium will separate from the medium and accumulate in various places of the vessel. Thus at the portions where the gas accumulates, the

transfer of heat is disturbed,,and temperature lowers, resulting in inconsistent temperature distribution. This undesirable in a heater for synthetic yarns in which consistent temperature distribution is required. Conventional heating devices have had such defects, but the device in the present invention has eliminated these defects.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper pipe 23 and the lower pipe 24 are connected with another branch tube 31. Small vessel 30 is mounted about midway on said branch tube 31 below upper pipe 23. The lower part 31 of branch tube 31 is secured to the lower end of lower pipe 24. Small vessel 30 is provided with gas-extraction tube 32 on the outer end of which is fitted valve 25. The uncondensed gas separated from the heat transfer solution is apt to gather in the upper part of the vessel,-

that is, upper pipe 23. However, it intermingles with heat transfer medium vapor, and it is difficult to remove the uncondensed gas. intermingled gas and vapor enter small vessel 30 and as time goes on the gas and the vapor continue to separate. The medium vapor is condensed and returns to lower pipe 24 via lower part 31' of branch tube 31, whereas the uncondensed gas is released in the open air by opening sometimes valve 25. Thus, the uncondensed gas in the heating vessel is released to the open air, resulting in the elimination of the cause of irregular temperature.

In the present invention, the final processing of false twist operations has also been improved. As shown in FIG. 1, the false-twisted yarn is led to final collection'device 14, wherein two types of packages are obtainable: hard and soft windings. For a hard wound package, the yarn may be led directly to the collecting device and for a soft-wound package it is led to the collecting device via the fourth delivery rollers. ln hard winding, while the yarn runs directly from third delivery rollers 12 to takeup device 14, the weight of the yarn acts as tension, and the winding is tightened. The package is naturally hard wound. For soft winding, fourth delivery rollers are disposed behind third delivery rollers 12; the rotating speed of fourth delivery V rollers 13 is made to be. slightly faster than that of third delivery rollers 12 so that the yarn is under tension between the two sets of rollers 13, and 12; the speed of rotation of the fourth delivery rollers is adapted to be faster than that of the friction rollers so that the yarn between fourth delivery rollers l3 and the collecting device is slack and is thus softly wound. A broken yarn detector is placed below the false twist spindle and when yarn is broken, the limit switch turns off. Further there is a twist adjuster disposed between the first delivery rollers and the second heating device. The object of the adjuster is to put'the twist of yarn in order and keep it in the clean state.

In addition, any type of twist can be imparted by the device of this invention: a Z-twist and an S-twist and a combination of S and Z. For this purpose, it is sufficient to reverse the false twist spindle. In one embodiment (FIG. 6). two false twist machines are set as one unit wherein a plurality of false twist spindles are driven directly or indirectly with the driving pulley attached to the shaft of a compact motor. A' greater number of the units are placed in parallel and the motor of each unit is connected to electric wires differentfrom each other. According to the switchover of each wire,

I. An S-twist is obtained by rotating all the false twist spindles in the S-twist direction.

2. A Z-twist is obtained by rotating all the false twist spindles in the Z-twist direction.

3. The false twist spindles of one machine in each unit are rotated in the S-twist direction and the other in the Z-twist blanket and all-embracing improvements of the device, and

excellentfalse twist machine has been completed.

We claim:

1. In a false-twist device for bulking and crimping .thermoplastic synthetic yarn including a yarn supply package, a first pair of feed rollers, a heater, a false-twist spindle, a second pair of feed rollers and takeup means, the improvements comprising means in said heater for eliminating noncondensable gases created therein; a motor having a shaft; a pulley fitted to said shaft, the outer periphery of said pulley being adapted to rotate said false-twist spindle; and a twist adjuster disposed after said second pair of feed rollers for adjusting the twist in said yarn.

2. The improvement claimed in claim Lfurther comprising a second heater and a third pair of delivery rollers disposed between said second pair of feed rollers and said takeup means.

3. The improvement claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pair of coaxially driven rollers disposed between said pulley and said false-twist spindle, whereby said false-twist spindle may be driven at increased speeds.

4. The improvement claimed in claim 1, wherein said heater comprises a lower horizontal header pipe containing therein a liquid heat transfer medium; an upper horizontal header pipe; a plurality of vertical pipes, the upper and lower ends of said vertical pipes being connected to said upper and lower header pipes, respectively, each of said vertical pipes having a vertical groove on the outer surface thereof through which said yarn 'is adapted to pass to be heated; said means for eliminating noncondensable gases comprising'a small vessel mounted below said upper header pipe, a branch tube connecting the top of said vessel to the lower side of said upper header pipe, a branch tube connecting the bottom of said vessel to the lower side of said lower header pipe, whereby noncondensable gases are accumulated in said small vessel. 

1. In a false-twist device for bulking and crimping thermoplastic synthetic yarn including a yarn supply package, a first pair of feed rollers, a heater, a false-twist spindle, a second pair of feed rollers and takeup means, the improvements comprising means in said heater for eliminating noncondensable gases created therein; a motor having a shaft; a pulley fitted to said shaft, the outer periphery of said pulley being adapted to rotate said false-twist spindle; and a twist adjuster disposed after said second pair of feed rollers for adjusting the twist in said yarn.
 2. The improvement claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second heater and a third pair of delivery rollers disposed between said second pair of feed rollers and said takeup means.
 3. The improvement claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pair of coaxially driven rollers disposed between said pulley and said false-twist spindle, whereby said false-twist spindle may be driven at increased speeds.
 4. The improvement claimed in claim 1, wherein said heater comprises a lower horizontal header pipe containing therein a liquid heat transfer medium; an upper horizontal header pipe; a plurality of vertical pipes, the upper and lower ends of said vertical pipes being connected to said upper and lower header pipes, respectively, each of said vertical pipes having a vertical groove on the outer surface thereof through which said yarn is adapted to pass to be heated; said means for eliminating noncondensable gases comprising a small vessel mounted below said upper header pipe, a branch tube connecting the top of said vessel to the lower side of said upper header pipe, a branch tube connecting the bottom of said vessel to the lower side of said lower header pipe, whereby nonconDensable gases are accumulated in said small vessel. 